You visit the doctor’s office for a medical issue and, after a brief examination, you walk out of the office with a prescription. At some point later, you stop by the pharmacy and leave with the medicine in hand.

You may not pay much more attention to the medication. After all the pill, liquid, nasal spray or injection is just something to help you feel better. But it turns out, there are huge differences in medicines. Here are the basics.

Biogen scientists in Research Triangle Park engineer biologic medicines, which are produced by living cells, making them a challenge to develop and manufacture, but it is a process with amazing results.

Muscles need lots of supplies to keep them moving. They need high-energy molecules, calcium, salts and most importantly sugars.

Our long stringy muscle fibers keep a plentiful store of sugar in the form of glycogen to keep them fueled through long exercise. And as marathon runners and long distance cyclists can tell you, when the glycogen runs out, it’s not pretty.

There’s a good chance you have memorized the warning listed on the prescription medication label. That’s because you’ve either heard it on television or radio during commercials for prescription medicines, or you have read it on the label on the medicine bottle. The warning reads something like this:

“Take only as directed. Finish all of the medicine in the prescription. Call your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions or experience any side effects.”